Emma Hayes’ tricky balancing act as USWNT strive for that ‘secret sauce’

Emma Hayes’ tricky balancing act as USWNT strive for that ‘secret sauce’

SEATTLE — A wholesale change to the U.S. women’s national team roster between its first and second matches against Japan exposed the significant gaps between each side’s bench depth.

At Lumen Field, in front of a record-breaking crowd for a standalone women’s soccer game of 36,128 people, Japan claimed the second of its three matches against the U.S. with a 1-0 win. Despite the 63 per cent possession the USWNT enjoyed throughout the match, the champions of Asia earned their victory — and leveled the series at 1-1 — through punishing technical precision and speed of play.

“It felt a little bit like WSL versus NWSL tonight,” said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, referring to the Women’s Super League in the UK and the National Women’s Soccer League in the U.S. Hayes has now lost to Japan twice (out of four total losses) in her tenure as USWNT manager.

“They’ve got 17 players that play in WSL. They’re all top players. We’ve got X amount of players playing in NWSL, so it gave some good insight into the development of players as a result of subsequent leagues,” Hayes added.

To be more precise, of the 25 players called up to the Japanese national team, 16 play in the WSL.

Tuesday night, seven of Japan’s starting XI represented WSL clubs, two play in the NWSL, and one each in the Frauen-Bundesliga and Japan’s domestic Women’s Empowerment (WE) League. Maika Hamano, who scored in the 27th minute, was signed by Chelsea when Hayes was still managing the London side. Hamano is now on loan at Tottenham.

By comparison, the USWNT roster featured two Europe-based players in OL Lyonnes midfielder Lily Yohannes and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. All the others in the starting lineup play in the NWSL, which completed its fourth matchweek before the international break.

Hamano’s goal illustrated the high-level quality that was on show at Lumen Field. A high defensive press from Japan forced USWNT forward Ally Sentnor to cough up the ball in her defensive half. Over the next 17 seconds, four Japanese players, including Hamano, who helped initiate the counterattack, touched the ball 15 times between turnover and goal.

From a U.S. concession standpoint, Hayes called the goal “poor,” even as she acknowledged Hamano’s “world-class talent”.

Midfielder Claire Hutton wore the captain’s armband on Tuesday night and said in the mixed zone after the match: “I think our big focus going from the first and second game was our build-out and staying calm and patient with their back press, and I do think we did a good job in it.

“I think what broke down was some of the technical execution: taking too many touches on the ball, and that’s where you could see it (problems).”

After previous losses, Hayes has often said she will not prioritize a positive result over player development, and she used a similar refrain Tuesday night. Hayes also continued her use of culinary metaphors to illustrate the gaps between her ostensible A and B teams during this window.

“It’s like when someone gives you a Michelin star recipe, and they say: ‘Well, I mean, you can cook it, right?’,” said Hayes. “And you go: ‘Well, I’ll have a go, but I’m not sure I’m gonna make it look like that Michelin star chef (could)’. I think we’ve got players that have some of the recipe and they’re trying to apply it in their entirety, but it’s a work in progress.”

Overall, Hayes said she was pleased with her team’s improvements, many of which are not always outwardly visible. “I think we dominated a lot of really good things without having the secret sauce,” she said.

Rotation and development aside, Hayes still made sweeping changes midway through the second half that spoke to her desire for experience on the pitch. Lindsey Heaps replaced her OL Lyonnes teammate Yohannes, forwards Sophia Wilson and Trinity Rodman came on for Emma Sears and Olivia Moultrie, Gisele Thompson, who’s having a breakout year for her country, traded places with Lilly Reale, and center-back Tierna Davidson came on for her Gotham FC teammate Emily Sonnett.

Davidson, like Wilson on Saturday, marked her long-awaited return to the USWNT in these Japan friendlies. The 27-year-old defender suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last year and has been on limited minutes in her first national team invitation since her recovery.

“Playing with this group of players is so fun, and it’s a joy to be able to be in a game that’s challenging tactically and technically,” Davidson said after the game in the mixed zone.

Japan, she said, “are really stingy on the details. They’re very patient in their defensive shape and their press. I think especially when a team like that goes up (1-0), they become even more patient and even more difficult to break down.”

And though Davidson only played about 25 minutes, Hayes said the experience provided much-needed stability on the pitch. “I think Tierna looked like she hadn’t been away,” she said. “I thought: ‘Well, that’s going to be a tough game for her to go into’, and she didn’t show that.”

With the series tied at one win apiece, the concept of friendliness as the U.S. and Japan head to Commerce City, Colo., for their final meeting feels more conceptual than practical.

Japan has only beaten the U.S. three out of 43 attempts, but two of those victories have come in the last 14 months.

“Winner take all” will be a loud whisper hovering over the Rocky Mountains come Friday, and the question of how Hayes will strike a balance between experience, developmental needs and competition will be paramount.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

US Women's national team, Women's Soccer

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